Modern portable electronic devices may have a large number of subsystems that rapidly drain batteries during normal use, e.g., have a battery life on the order of hours or days during normal usage. As a result, most modern portable electronic devices utilize some form of rechargeable battery. Such batteries are offered in a variety of form factors, such as prismatic, pouch, button, and cylindrical form factors, and may utilize any of a variety of chemistries, such as nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or lithium ion (Li). Rechargeable batteries typically have multiple cells arranged in a layered fashion. If a short develops across two or more of the cells, this may cause battery performance to degrade and eventually cause battery failure. Such failures may, in extreme circumstances, be catastrophic and involve fire or explosion. Such short circuits may be caused by mechanical insult (such as may be caused by denting the battery cover of an electronic device) or manufacturing defects such as poor sealing leading to moisture or metal contamination. Other potential sources of battery pack degradation may include overcharging, overdischarging/excessive discharging, or improper design.